Romance of the Sea
by xxShinxx
Summary: Chopper was granted a wish! And what did he say that made Sanji & Zoro can never forgive him? Just a few innocent words but have the power to turn the two men lives upside-down. Could they make it through? Or would everything be destroyed at the end? Ch.6
1. Unforgivable words

My first OP fic for those who's interested in the pirate world.

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything except love _

_Warning: Language, Yaoi, Violence…_

Hope you like it!

Enjoy! :)

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

The sun was shining down on the Going Merry. Several seagulls spread their wings in the blue sky. The deep blue sea surface sparkled with shine. A breeze threaded through the branches of Nami's mikan trees. The rustle combined with the sound of waves lapping against the ship was a beautiful lullaby the Mother Nature gave a certain green-hair swordsman.

Ah! What a peaceful morning!

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were sitting on the railing, rods in hands. They were bored. They hadn't been catching anything edible. No fish. No octopus. Even no sea-king.

"Hoooo…." yawned Luffy. "This is boring. Can we start a card game?"

"No, we can't." Said Chopper. "We have fishes to catch. It's two days before we reach the next island. And Sanji said that we are low on food."

"We _don't_ have fishes to catch, Chopper. I don't see any." Said Usopp, disappointed. "I can't believe that. We had a big fridge and a large store to save food, but now we had only potatoes and dried fishes left. Thank you, Captain!" He added sarcastically.

"Ma…It's not my fault. We were stuck in that desert for a week. I was hungry."

"You are hungry all the time." Usopp said and Chopper giggled.

At that time, something caught his eyes. "Oi, you two, look!"

Luffy and Chopper looked in the direction of his finger. There, in the right broadside, was a barrel, floating on the sea.

"What is that?" Chopper asked.

"I don't know. It may belong to some wrecked ship." Usopp said, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Is there food inside, Usopp?" Chopper asked his voice full of hope.

"No, Chopper. There may be a baby." Luffy said. He held his hand over his eyes to block the sun while eyeing the barrel.

"A baby? Really?" Chopper looked up at Luffy, eyes widened in astonishment.

Usopp rolled his eyes. "There is no baby inside, Chopper. How do you think of something like that, Luffy?" He leaned forward on the railing to take a good look at the barrel. Luffy came to stand beside him. His voice sounded excited.

"Yosh! Let's catch it and bring it on the ship."

Uospp looked worried. "I don't know if we should. It may be something dangerous."

"I said it's a baby, and a baby can't be dangerous, Usopp." Luffy grinned his goofy grin.

Usopp couldn't help but felt frustrated with his captain.

On hearing the noises, Nami looked up from her maps and frowned: "What's that, guys? Why aren't you fishing?" She was sitting at her table on the upper deck.

"There is a barrel on the sea and Luffy wants…"

Before Usopp could finish, Luffy had stretched his rubbery arms out toward the said barrel. He took hold of it and pulled it back to the ship. Nami stood up from her table and climbed down the ladder to join the three on the lower deck.

They stood around the dripping barrel, looking down at it.

"Hum...What is this?" Nami asked. Her arms folded under her breast.

"A baby, Nami", Chopper said, his eyes sparkled. "Luffy said it's a baby."

"No, it's not, Chopper." Nami laughed softly. "Well, it may be a treasure map." Her eyes flashed.

You could see some bills with two golden wings flying around her head. Indeed.

"Let's open it!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Don't! It may be a prank." Usopp waved his hands.

Luffy made a face. "I said it's just a baby"

"It's a treasure map."

"It's a prank."

"A baby"

"A prank"

"A treasure map"

"Oi, oi, oi…." Zoro growled. The noise woke him. It was strange. He could _always_ sleep through a storm, you know.

He got on his feet and walked toward them, yawning. "Wh…what are youuuu doing?" Once he approached them, he looked down at the barrel over Nami's head. "Hum? Sake?"

"How could you jump to sake immediately?" Nami pouted.

"What do you think it is then?" Zoro demanded. At the meantime, Luffy and Usopp were shouting at each other with "Baby" and "Prank".

"It's none of your business." Nami waved her hand at his face.

"What?" He snarled, but before he could do or say anything else, a black shoe had landed hard on his head. Didn't bother to turn around to see whose the shoe was, he unsheathed Wado and growled.

"Wana fight, shit cook?"

"Yeah!" Sanji had just showed up from nowhere.

They stood there, forehead against forehead, nose against nose, snapping at each other.

"What did you do that for? Kicked me in the head?"

"To teach you a lesson of respecting a lady."

And they fought. And exchanged insults.

"Shitty swordsman"

"Ero-cook"

"Bastard"

"Dartboard"

And…

"Baby"

"Prank"

What a mess!

Nami slapped her forehead, completely frustrated while Chopper was just confused. The little reindeer felt eager and worried at the same time. He didn't know whether he should stay there and laugh or should run and hide behind the mast.

Eventually, Robin put her book down. She watched them for several seconds and smiled. They seemed to be energetic in the morning.

"Why shouldn't we open it and find out what inside?" She said calmly. However, you could tell that she really enjoyed the mess by the way her smile widened a bit and her eyes sparkled.

They stopped and looked up at her as she headed toward them.

"Ah, that's how smart of you, Robin-chan!" Sanji sang. His eye turned into a big pink heart.

"Tch…" Zoro snorted.

"What?" Pink heart turned back into bullet.

"Cook-san," Robin said soothingly, "Could you please open it so we'll have a chance to look at?"

"Yesssss…., Robin-chan." Pink heart again.

He lifted his leg and was about to give it a deathblow.

"Sanji-kun," Nami warned him, "_Open_ it. Don't _destroy_ it."

He pulled his leg back and smiled sheepishly at her. Suddenly, the barrel shook slightly and a whimper was heard. Chopper gave an "AHHHH" and jumped on Zoro's shoulders. Usopp squeezed his eyes shut tightly and trembled from his top to his toe.

Inside was something _alive!_

"Be careful, Sanji-kun." Nami said sweat dropped. Sanji bent down to untie the rope wrapping around the lid and remove it. They looked at the thing and their eyes widened with shock. Usopp dared to open one eye and peek inside. One dead second and then Luffy's laughter began echoing across the ship.

There was a baby in the barrel.

Luffy was laughing loudly, completely pleased.

And Usopp couldn't help but felt frustrated with himself.

A baby in diaper was sucking on his thump and looking up at them with round, dark eyes. He had pale white skin and his hair was brown. No one knew what to do. Then Robin placed her hands on both sides of the baby, under his arms, and picked him up.

"Well…where are you from, baby?" She asked softly.

The baby kept sucking on his thump, his tiny legs swayed.

"I think he came from a ship. 'Cause within five miles radius around here there is no island. And his ship was sunk. Accident, maybe, or they met a pirate ship and his parents did what they could do to protect him from the pirates." Nami said.

"By putting him in a barrel and pushing him away, you mean?" Robin asked politely.

"Yeah"

"Uhm..." Robin was considering possibilities. "What do you say, Senchou-san?"

"We'll keep him." Luffy said simply and grinned from ear to ear. He was getting exited with the idea of having a baby on their ship.

"Uhm, I don't think it's a good idea, Luffy." Usopp said, frowning slightly. "What if we are attacked? It'll be dangerous for him, and us."

"But we can't let him out there on the sea unprotected." Luffy argued.

The baby started to cry. He wiggled in Robin's arms.

"I suppose we can keep him until we reach the next island and find someone who's willing to adopt him." Nami said, patting the baby's head gently in the way to comfort him. The baby did not seem to appreciate that, he cried louder instead. His chest swelled up, moving up and down heavily. His face reddened and tears started to leak from his closed eyes.

"What's wrong with him?" Zoro asked. His eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

"I think he's hungry, Kenshi-san. Here, cook-san." Robin said and handed the crying baby to Sanji. "You can give him something to eat."

"Give me some, too, Sanji." Luffy gave him a toothy grin. He kicked him in the head.

"Yeah, Luffy. Since you decided to keep him, you can share your food with him. That means you have only one dish per meal." Sanji smiled evilly.

"Hah? No! Then throw him away." Luffy yelped. Sanji kicked him in the gut, sending him flying to the railing.

"Go and fish! Bastard! Make sure you'll catch something _edible_ this time."

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Sanji stepped in the galley, closing the door behind him. He stared down at the now sobbing baby in his arms and sighed. Now he had another person to feed. Not that he would complain about that, but in this situation, how could he keep the crew full and healthy with just potatoes and dried fishes? And the baby, he needed special foods. Anyway, he was a cook and he was supposed to find a way to solve this problem. Maybe he just had to kick the lazy swordsman's ass and made him dive into the sea to catch a sea-king. He didn't hope that Luffy could be useful in times like this. Actually, that idiot just made the dark circumstance they had been in even darker. _Fuck_.

Sanji moved to the corner of the galley to pick some potatoes. He sighed. At least, he could prepare some soup for the baby.

"You sighed a lot, human."

Sanji froze in the middle of bending over with his right arm reaching out. He stared at the baby in his other arm. His visible eyebrow twitched. The baby stared back. They stared at each other for a few moments, and then the cook shook his head. He decided that he had just imagined on hearing the baby speaking. He sighed again. Maybe he was just tired. And started to hear things? No way.

"I said you sighed a lot, human."

The cook almost dropped the baby down to the floor in his astonishment. His jaw dropped. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The baby's look was purely boring as he opened his mouth and spoke.

"Tch, pick up your jaw and make me something to eat, human."

There. The baby had spoken. Sanji swore he had. Trying to suppress his shock, the cook focused his eyes on the baby he held out in front of him.

"What the…wait, human?"

"Yeah, you are human, aren't you? What do you suggest me to call you?" The baby rolled his eyes sarcastically in a way that even though Sanji was surprised, he would want to kick his little ass out of the galley.

"So, you're not...human? _What_ are you?"

"Oi, it's mean, you know." The baby frowned. "No, I'm not human. Have you ever seen a human baby at this age speaking?" He continued to speak in that irritating tone. The blond cook started to feel pissed. A baby was messing with him. An inhuman baby was lecturing him. _Fuck_.

He opened his mouth only to be cut off by the baby.

"You're a cook, right? You're supposed to feed me like what that beautiful lady said, neh?" He smirked. God, Sanji hated this little brat.

He let out a heavy breath, moved toward the table and sat the baby on it. He braced himself on his hands and leaned in to whisper through his teeth.

"You stay here while I'm making something for your fucking stomach. Got it?" The baby did not seem to be affected by the cook's anger. He merely looked up at the other and asked.

"What are you going to make?"

"Potatoes soup"

"Geez…Don't you have anything else? I won't refuse some tempura and milk. Ramen or sushi is good, too"

_Calm down, Sanj__!__. Calm dow__n!__ He's just a baby. A fucking annoying baby._

"No," the cook snarled, "All we have is potatoes. But, of course, if you want dried fishes, you can try some." The baby shook his head and pulled his tiny legs up to stretch them in front of him. Sanji stared at the baby patiently as he shifted himself for a more comfortable posture. Well, at least the cook tried.

"No, how can I eat dried fishes? They're not good for a baby's stomach. You're supposed to know that as a cook." For that, he had just asked for tempura and sushi!

Sanji'd glared at him for a whole minute before he forced himself to turn around. He wasn't so sure of himself to stand there and _not_ kick that brat in the face. He picked some potatoes, brought them to the sink and started to peel them. The baby rolled his eyes from left to right, taking in the sight of the galley.

"A pirate ship, huh?"

The cook didn't miss the ridicule in his tone but told himself to just ignore it. He couldn't stand a conversation with that bastard.

"I've met lots of people before; many of them were just like you, pirate and bad temper." Despite of his words of not talking to the baby, Sanji felt a little curious.

"If you are not human, so who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you finally come to the point. I am a god."

"A god?" Sanji asked suspiciously.

"Yeah"

The cook stared at the baby on the table and a small smirk curled his lips. "What kind of god are you?"

"Love" came the simple answer. Sanji rolled his eyes. This baby was definitely fucking with him.

"Like Cupid?"

"Um, you can say that. But I'm not him, of course."

"So, you are…real? I mean, the likes of you really exist?"

"We do, in fact. You _are_ seeing me, talking to me. What do you think I am doing if not existing?" His nose twitched in a disappointed snort.

"Yeah, whatever."

"What was that reaction? You don't believe?" The brown hair god straightened his back and looked at the blond in the eyes.

"Not really."

"Whatever. I don't think I have to explain it or prove it to you. I am what I am, whether you believe it or not." The god was now lying on his back. He held his little feet in his hands, swaying slightly. Sanji couldn't help but chuckled at the sight.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

After breakfast with potatoes soup and broiled tuna, which the idiots managed to catch by rods, bare hands and even Usopp's kinds of ammunitions and with a wet swordsman after jumping into the sea to drag his captain's ass back to the ship, things started to explode. Everyone seemed to be interested in the baby god. Everyone except Zoro. Needless to include Sanji since he was already pissed.

The baby god was pacing back and forth in front of the crew on the deck, swinging his arms as he told them about himself and his _responsibility_ as a god. Luffy and Chopper had their mouths open, their eyes widen with every word and cut in with "Really?" any time the god paused and nodded solemnly. Usopp was starting to babble about what he would have done if he had been a god. Robin and Nami were charmed with his baby voice and his angel face. And when Zoro asked him why the fuck didn't he tell them he was hungry instead of crying in the first place, the baby smiled at him evilly.

"I'm a baby after all. A baby is supposed to cry when he is hungry, right?"

Sanji laughed which made Zoro get even more pissed. He got to his feet and unsheathed his swords. Sanji reacted instantly, tapping his toe on the wooden floor. And they picked up another fight of the day.

At the end of the day, the love god retreated to the men quarter to avoid Luffy and Zoro, who were after him. Luffy wanted to play with him, which meant he wanted to throw the god into the air to see if he could fly. Zoro, on the other hand, wanted to slice him for disturbing his naps. Now he and Chopper were sitting on a couch with a blanket covering both of them like a small tent.

"You are the funniest people I've ever met. The ladies are so sweet and kind. So are you." The god said, smiling.

"Idiot! That doesn't make me happy. Idiot! Idiot!" Chopper wiggled on his seat, a pink line made it way across his nose bridge and he smiled happily.

The baby god laughed at the little reindeer's embaressment.

"I don't like that green hair man, though. He sleeps and growls all day. And the cook, he glares at me whenever I step in the kitchen. They fought for every stupid reason." He complained. Chopper snickered, whispering under his breath.

"They're always like that. I've been wondering why they hate each other that much. I wish they could get along better. We're nakama, after all."

"You do? Hum!" The god scratched his chin and frowned. He stared at the reindeer for a while, and then a grin slowly formed on his baby face.

"Well, even though I don't appreciate their atitudes, the others were cute and the food was just great, I think I'll help them a bit."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Chopper asked curiously.

The baby simply smirked.

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

**To be continued…**

You'll never know what babies think. Herherher

C ya


	2. Fate

Wah, it's been a while :)

First, let me thank all of my awesome readers. Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you like it and I hope you all not getting bored while waiting. :)

Second, this is chapter 2. Hope you like it too.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

"My beautiful ladies, dinner's served. Shitheads, dinner."

Sanji's voice echoed from the galley and they heard Luffy's footstep above their heads and a slam as he stormed through the kitchen's door. The love god looked up and grinned.

"A full moon night and a good dinner, neh? Perfect!"

He slipped off the couch and ran all the way to the galley with Chopper behind him.

As they were in the kitchen, Sanji was busy serving his ladies while the other had been eating their shares. Or in Luffy's case, he had finished his first and was asking for the second. The god and the reindeer approached the table and Chopper sat down on his chair while the baby settled himself on the table.

"I already told you, Luffy, there's no seconds. If you're still hungry, eat your own hat." Sanji said, smacking the captain's hand away.

"I can't. I have to hand it back to Shanks. Besides, it's not as tasty as your food." Luffy groaned. Sanji didn't know whether he should be delighted or pissed when Luffy compared his food with a straw hat. Everybody seemed to be fully aware of what was going to happen next when Luffy was denied his food, so they worked on theirs as fast as they could.

Dinner continued with a small verbal fight between the swordsman and the cook. The cook accused him of dropping booze on the floor. The swordsman growled, told him to shut up and dropped some more booze. On the other edge of the table, Luffy was drooling, crying and trying to steal food from Usopp's plate. Nami shook her head and mouthed "Men" while Robin merely smiled.

The god felt annoyed. These men had no manners, acting like barbarians in front of the ladies _and_ a baby. How was he able to eat while people were running and shouting and messing around? _Geez!Pirates!_Now he understood why Chopper worried about them and decided to help his friend get over it. He finished his last spoon of soup and rose on his feet. He moved casually to the middle of the table and "Ehem" to catch the crew's attention.

"Oi, you! Yeah, the two of you, stop fooling around." He pointed at Sanji and Zoro, who looked like they were ready to strangle one another. "And you, stop chewing on his nose. I don't think it's tasty, either." He said as he turned to Luffy, who was on the process of chewing on Usopp's special nose with his rubbery arms wrapping several circles around his desperate nakama.

"Eh? You have something tastier? Yosh!" Luffy cheered and pulled away from Usopp.

The baby shook his head slightly. "No, but I have something to tell you all." He shot a glance at Sanji and Zoro's direction, his eyes flashed. He beckoned them to come to the table. The blond and the green-headed did not say it out loud but they were sure as hell they had the same thought of beating the shit out of this little brat at the moment they got a chance. They could not be doing that in the presence of the others anyway.

They returned to the table and happened to sit next to each other on the bench. As if that was all what he needed, the love god gave them his bright grin.

"Good." He said heartily.

Sanji's visible eyebrow twitched and he didn't like it. It was always a portent. Something bad, really bad, was going to happen. The look on the god's face made him feel like he should not let his guard down. That brat looked happy. _Too happy._

As all of them gathered around the table, the baby clapped his hands together and cleared his throat.

"OK. My friends…"

"Who is your friend?" Sanji and Zoro snapped in unison.

"Shut up! Don't jump into my mouth like that." He snapped back. 'I'm trying to help here."

"Who needs your help?" Sanji said flatly.

"And what do you want to help with?" Zoro added.

"You have food?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"NO!" The baby shouted desperately. He rubbed his temples and sighed. These people were totally hopeless.

Nami felt sympathy for him. She got used to their idiocy, but the god didn't so he must be pissed.

"Ma, ma… Calm down. They didn't mean anything rude. Did you, _guys_?" She said the last word with a hint of death to them if they dared to say yes. They did say nothing.

The god turned to Nami and smiled sweetly at her. "Thanks, my dear! You're a big help since I have something really important to say and they just kept interrupting." He cleared his throat again and spoke.

"Ok, my friends. I must say that it has been a wonderful chance to meet with wonderful people like you."

Nami, Robin, Usopp and Chopper smiled. Luffy yawned and felt his attention was lessening as he now realized that the baby didn't have any food and what he was saying had nothing to do with something edible. Sanji and Zoro snorted. So did the god. It was obvious that he did not feel it wonderful at all meeting the two of them, but he said it anyway 'cause he really enjoyed his time with the others, and it was something he was taught he had to say as a part of his job.

He continued. "My heart fills with joy and my soul feels warm when we are together. I do not want to let go. I do not want to see us apart. But it is the injustice of our fate that has me to be here and say these painful words."

He held his arms up over his head and cried out, loosing in his drama world. Sanji and Zoro winced, the corners of their mouths twitched and they felt goose bumps rising all over their bodies. Chopper snickered as he watched Sanji and Zoro's reactions. He didn't know what the god was going to do but he hoped that it was going to be helpful. Chopper loved Sanji and Zoro as much as he loved Luffy, Usopp, Nami and Robin, so he didn't want to see them trying to kill each other every minute. He smiled to himself, looking at the god as he worked on his speech.

"Before we part, I have a gift, my hope, for you to be happy." He finished and grinned.

"A gift?" They all asked in surprise.

"Yeah, a gift. It is…"

"A treasure map?"

"A history book?"

"A ship full of food?"

"I want a set of tools to..."  
"No, no, no." The god waved his forefinger, placing the other hand on his hip. "No, I am a love god, I can't give you these things."

They all sighed in disappointment.

"Come on, these things are all what you want? Don't you think of something else? Something more important, more necessary and more romantic?" He asked with the _you-can't-be-that-stupid-can-you?_ look on his face.

After a few second, Chopper exclaimed. "Love"

"That's the point, my friend! I believe you are the most intelligent creature in the world." The god gave him a grin and Chopper blushed, wiggling on his seat.

"Idiot! Your compliment doesn't make me happy at all."

"Ah," Robin said softly. "That really is the point, Sensei. He is a love god, he is meant to give us love."

"'Cause that the only thing he can give us." Nami nodded and the crew laughed.

To their surprise, the god didn't look angry or embarrass at all. His face shown his determination and his voice became serious as he spoke again.

"Yeah, just laugh! Don't tell me you don't need love."  
Nami smiled. "We do. But you don't have to give us love. We have love already."

"Really?" His evil smile shown up on his face again. "Well, I don't think so, my dear. I know there are some people here who do not know how to love each other." He said and then turned around to face Sanji and Zoro, giving them his full attention.

They glared at him, but he just ignored them as he raised his forefinger into the air and drew several circles. From the tip of his finger, a red sparkle thread spilled out, forming a spiral before dropping into his palm. He shortened the distance between them with two small steps, the red thread dangled in his hand.

Time seemed to stop at the moment the god stood in front of the two men and held out his hands. Suddenly, Sanji and Zoro's bodies went still. They could neither make a sound nor move a finger. They could only stare at the god as he lowered himself between them. A halo was forming around the god, blocking the others' vision. No one had an idea of what was going on.

After a minute or so, they saw him stood up and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. He looked quite satisfied. The crew watched with amazement as he slowly flew off the table, his arms stretched out to his sides. Now the crew got a better view of the god and what they saw made their amazement grow. The halo, turning out to be two white leather wings, was swinging slightly on his back to keep him in the middle of the air. When he opened his mouth and spoke, his voice was low and powerful which made chill run down their spines.

"In the name of Fate, I, here, find two poor people who are lost in the dark of their arrogance. In the name of my Father, I, here, give them the Thread of Fate. The Thread, which helps them find where they belong. The Thread, which ties their hearts and souls. Together. Forever."

After he finished, he landed back on the table and his wings disappeared. He looked around the table and grinned as he saw the expression on their faces.

"Impressive, huh?" He asked.

The galley fell into silence as the crew tried to regain themselves from the aftereffect of the god's performance. Soon enough, it was back to its normal status when Luffy shrieked.

"Amazing~! What was that? Neh? Neh?" He was now sitting on his heels on the bench, leaning further on the table.

"Those wings were real, weren't they?" Chopper asked, his eyes brighten.

"What is the Thread of Fate?" Usopp mused.

The god looked very proud of himself as the crew surrounded him with questions and admiration. He stayed at where he was, in the middle of the table, rubbing his nose with the back of his finger and smiling with feigned embarrassment.

No one seemed to notice that there was something wrong until Robin's calm voice reached the god's ears.

"Don't you forget something, God-san?"

The others turned their heads toward her and then toward the direction of her finger. There, sitting on the bench, were two rigid bodies of Sanji and Zoro and above these ones were two bright red faces of their owners.

"Wh..wh..what's wrong?"Nami stammered. "Are you..okay? Zoro? Sanji-kun?"

"Oh, I forgot." The god laughed softly and flicked his fingers.

The moment he lowered his hand, he almost regretted immediately. Sanji and Zoro jumped up from their seats. They grasped the god's arms, pulling him close and shouting at his face.

"What the fuck were you doing?"

"Who the hell do you think you are to forget?"

They shook him violently his head almost fell out.

"Ma, ma…guys. What is it?" asked Usopp's trembling voice. The two looked so angry he feared they would bite him or something.

"What's wrong?" Chopper asked. He was worried, too, but more about the baby than his nakama.

"Ask him." Sanji and Zoro said simultaneously and pushed the baby backward. He startled but managed to stay on his feet.

"I gave you two a gift and this is what I get back? Two bruises on my arms." He said furiously, rubbing his upper arms. Sanji and Zoro were going to grasp him and shake him and shout at him again but Nami was quicker. She wrapped one arm around the baby's stomach and pulled him toward her.

"Come on, guys. Be yourselves!"

The galley fell into another silence for a moment before Usopp broke it.

"Someone tell me what's going on, please?"

The baby released himself from Nami's arm and rolled his shoulders.

"Like I said, I'd give you a gift. And I did. I gave them the Thread of Fate."

"What is it, the Thread of Fate?" Nami asked.

"It is a red thread. It's used to tie two people hearts and souls together."

Sanji and Zoro exploded with anger over again. Their faces were red like two big tomatoes and their heads almost smoked. Zoro had never felt angry like this before. The hand he had on his swords was trembling. He kept a tight grip on Wado's hilt as an attempt to prevent himself from reaching out and strangling the baby. Only until then, Robin noticed the red thread, which had been tied around his right wrist. Her gaze followed its length to the other tip and she saw it tying around Sanji's left wrist. She blinked.

"Do you mean it ties their wrists together?" She asked the god as she pointed at the thread. Everyone once again turned their heads toward the direction of her finger. Now they all saw the thread dangling between the two men's wrists. Sanji and Zoro felt their faces heating, but this time because of embarrassment as the crew had their eyes fixing on them.

"Ah, the thread itself ties their wrists and its power ties their hearts and souls. The power of love. Yeah, that's it." The god said, nodding solemnly.

"Power my ass." Sanji yelled. He held out his left arm and tugged at the thread but it didn't break. Despite of its frail shape, the thread seemed to be tough.

"Damn it," Sanji cursed, tugging at it a few more times. To his anger and desperation, it remained unharmed. He gave up and turned to Zoro, glaring at him as though it was his fault that this shit was too tough.

"Cut it, Zoro." He commanded.

Zoro growled. However, he said nothing as he unsheathed Wado and gave it a sharp cut. It broke. But they hardly had time to celebrate before the thread pieced itself back together in front of their wide eyes.

Zoro growled furiously. "What the fuck?" and he cut it again. And again. And again.

The god heaved a sigh, shaking his head.

"It won't work. No matter how many times you cut it or how many pieces it is cut into, it eventually heals."

"Then you will eventually heal no matter how many pieces I cut you into, won't you?" The swordsman snarled through his clenched teeth. Sanji gave soft chuckle, though his voice held no humor at all. He leaned forward on the table to press the butt of his finished cigarette to the baby's nose and whispered across his face.

"You. Untie it. Now. Or I'll cook you after he finished filleting you."

To his satisfaction, the baby looked worried. He looked down at the ash mark on the tip of his nose, then up at the angry cook's face and swallowed hard.

"I…I can't." He stuttered.

"Oh, you can. And you will if you don't want to become our breakfast tomorrow morning."

"No, you can't cook him, Sanji." Luffy yelped but the cook ignored him. He kept glaring at the baby as he swallowed again and shook his head.

"No, I can't. Since it is tied…improperly…It can't be untied."

"What do you mean improperly?" Sanji asked promptly.

"Well…well…"

"Don't "well well" with me. Just spit it out." Sanji hissed.

On the other side of the table, Robin placed her chin on her palm, smiling as she was listening to the god and the cook's conversation. That made the swordsman frown. He bet all three of his swords that she was enjoying this. _Shit!_

The baby's voice pulled him out of his thought and he realized that the cook had settled back on the bench and was lighting a new cigarette with a match. He copied him.

The god now looked nervous as everyone was eying him from their seats around the table, waiting for him to talk.

"Well…" he stopped, cleared his throat once then continued. "Well, you know…my father is the previous Love god. He retired a while ago and I've taken over his position since then." He let out a sigh and started pacing back and forth.

"Don't think being a god is easy. Especially being a love god. We have many things to do. We have to create Threads of Fate. Weaving them with shoots of a million years old banyan. Dyeing them with extractive from red rose petals. We also have to learn how to use them…to tie them around people's wrists."

He said that quickly, unable to look at Sanji and Zoro. He could feel their eyes burning a hole on his back and shuddered.

"After that, we have to read that spell. The spell will wake the thread's power and have it doing its duty." He sighed again. "It's easy to say but…Anyway, my father taught me all what I have to do if I want to grant a love wish."

"Wait," said Sanji, pulling out his cigarette. "Which wish? _Who the hell _wished? I _didn't _wish for anything. Did you, Zoro?" He turned to the man beside him and asked suspiciously.

"Of course not." Zoro shouted. "What makes you think I would do such a thing, bastard?"

They both turned to the love god. He shrugged.

"Well, you didn't, but your friend did." He gestured toward Chopper.

Everyone glanced at the reindeer, who was shaking like a leaf in a wind.

"I...I..." Chopper stammered. He looked up at Sanji and Zoro and saw a deep frown on the cook's face as well as a disappointed look in the swordsman's eyes.

"...Sanji...Zoro..."

And he burst into tears.

Usopp moved closer to stroke his back gently, trying to comfort his little friend. He didn't know what to say. No one knew what to say. Chopper kept crying, hiding his tear-stained face under his pink hat. Seeing him like that, Sanji felt his anger disappear as he stood up and trod around the edge of the table toward the reindeer.

"Hey, wait…" The god shouted suddenly.

But it was too late.

Everyone barely had time to catch a surprise look on the swordsman's face before he flew off the bench, sliding on it, toward the cook. He dashed against his back, knocking both of them down on the floor.

"What the fuck are you doing, you shit face?" They heard Sanji yelling from beneath Zoro's body.

Zoro scrambled to his feet. He stood up difficultly, trying to regain his breathing and his sense. What had just happened? They were sitting on the bench. Then the cook stood up and went away. Then _he_ _was flying toward him._ Then they ended up on the floor. _What the hell?_

"What the hell, you shitty moss head? You can't walk on you feet normally?"

He was snapped out of his daze as he felt Sanji's hot breath dancing across his face, his angry one filling his vision. The swordsman blinked and then frowned.

"I can, you bastard, if you didn't just walk away and pull me along with you."

"I did not. What the fuck makes you think I wanted to…" Sanji trailed off suddenly as realization hit him. He looked at Zoro in the eyes, sharing a moment of annoyance, before their bodies automatically turned to the love god.

They moved closer to him like two wild wolves approaching their prey.

"What else haven't you told us yet?" Sanji emphasized each word in a low, deadly tone.

Sweat was collecting on the god's forehead. He looked around desperately as though he was trying to find an escape out of the galley, or correctly, out of his end. Zoro grasped one of his swords and pulled it slowly out of its sheath. The light of the lantern from the ceiling reflected on the piece of metal and made if flash. And the god choked out.

"Well…once…once you are connected by a Tread of Fate, you can't go far away from each other more than the Thread's length. If one of you goes further than the allowed distance, the other will be pulled along with you. That's the way the Thread keeps you two together."

Sanji and Zoro glanced at each other and saw their fright painting on the other's face.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Note:  
**

I got the idea of the red thread from an Chinese fairy tale.

There was an old, very, very old god who controlled human marriage. He had a handbook in which wrote down names of couples who would get married to each other. He tied their ankles together with red threads. That way, no matter what would happen to them or how far they'd parted, they always came to each other at the end.

However, I gotta say I prefer a baby to an old man. Ha ha. I changed it a bit (like he tied the thread around their wrists instead of their ankles) and put in some more details.

Well, let me know what you think about it, won't you?

C ya.


	3. Just the beginning

Chap 3 is up!

Hope you like it. :D

Enjoy!

* * *

"...If one of you goes further than the allowed distance, the other will be pulled along with you. That's the way the Thread keeps you two together."

Sanji and Zoro glanced at each other and saw their fright painting on the other's face.

Sanji leaned in, bringing his face close to the god's.

"And you told me you can't untie it?"

The baby shook his head.

The cook had to fight down an urge to place his hands around that pale neck and grip it.

"Why not?" He asked instead, not surprised when he heard his voice hoarse.

"Well, you don't know how hard being a god is. Aside from what I told you, I also have to pass some tests to get the certificate."

"And…?"

"And…" The god lowered his head to avoid the cook's fierce look. "I skipped the tying test. It was hard, you don't know. Complicated. The knot." He said incoherently.

"So…?" Sanji's voice sounded like it was coming from hell.

"So, I don't know how to tie the Thread properly. And after its magic had been woken by the spell, I can no longer untie it. No one can."

"And how do you suggest me to understand this shit?" The cook shouted at the god's frightened face.

"This means you two will have to live with it forever." He said almost inaudibly.

"WHAT THE FUCK? ARE YOU KIDDING?" Sanji and Zoro exploded finally.

Everyone was stunned by the god's words. They looked at one another with wide eyes. Even Robin lost her smile. She didn't expect this. No one did. Especially Chopper.

Sanji and Zoro were going to stick together _forever? _This was going to be hell. To all of them.

Two rivals stuck together. Nothing was going to be worse than this.

Chopper was terrified. He didn't wish for this. He just wanted them not being at each other's throat anymore and acting friendly. How come everything went this way?

"Did this happen to all the couples you granted wishes?" Nami asked. She was wondering how people managed to live while having to drag one another around all the time.

The god shook his head. "No. Actually, they are the first one I've used a Thread on. This is my first mission. I've snuck out of our castle two weeks ago and intended to take a tour around the world until you stopped me this morning."

Nami's mouth hung open in silent shock.

So he was just an amateur god?

"You haven't done this before? What about the couples you told us?" She frowned.

"Well, they were my father's works. I just followed him and watched. He looked for couples. Gave them the Threads." He tilted his head up to meet the navigator's eyes. "Many of them were arguing, refusing. Some women even threatened to die. However, after a while, we came back and found out that they were living together happily."

Nami leaned back on her chair, folding her arms under her breast.

"What about the Threads? What happened to them? Are they still there on their wrists?"

"No," he shook his head quickly, "They're gonna disappear after the couples get married."

Everyone shifted on their seats.

"If they do," Nami shot her gaze toward Sanji and Zoro, holding back her breath, "will their Thread disappear?"

The god carefully moved out of the two men's reach before he spoke.

"The purpose of giving people Threads is to give them a chance to find love. If they don't love each other, that means their Thread has not completed its duty yet. It'll remain, regardless of time, in every condition, unless they _willingly_ want to get married."

Sanji felt like he had been struck by a lightning bolt. His head spun. His feet felt unsteady as the floor beneath him fell apart.

This was going to be his end.

0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0

Later at that night, in the men quarter...

Sanji and Zoro were sitting on a couch not far from the mast, breathing heavily. The tense aura around them was as solid as a cold egg cake.

Usopp wiggled uncomfortably in his hammock while glancing at the dark expression on his nakama's faces. Neither of them said a thing after the love god's departure.

After reassuring the two poor victims of his by promising them he would come back to check how they'd be doing, the god gave them his last smile and disappeared with a flick of fingers.

Luckily, he was a god for his own fucking sake. If he had not been, Sanji's kick at that moment would have sent him straight to Death's hand, giving him no chance to come back to see the sun ever again. Zoro himself had made a promise as well. Promising he was going to train harder and harder till he could not only cut through iron but also through a god's body. And hopefully, until then he would be able to help them get rid of that damn Thread of Whatever.

Now that Luffy was on the crow's nest on his watch, Usopp was left with two bombs that could explode at any time. When they did, they would be more devastating than any of his ammunition was. He felt the air in the room hotter than usual, though it was midnight already as Sanji and Zoro sat there almost breathing fire.

A noise above them made him look up just in time to see a shadow of something fuzzy beside the trap door. Black hooves came down from the deck, the sound of them against the wood mast like nails driving into Usopp's eardrums. He found himself sweat dropped.

He knew Sanji and Zoro would never do anything harmful to their nakama, but still somehow worried about Chopper. He himself felt their stupid fights annoying sometimes. However, wishing they loving each other would never be his choice. They were meant to be rivals. Plus, their fights did not hurt anyone, so the others just ignored them.

"It is good for them," Usopp recalled Luffy saying that before.

He watched Chopper moving tentatively toward the couch the other men were sitting on. His round eyes were all red and swollen. He stopped in front of Sanji and Zoro. They looked down at him, waiting for him to say something. The reindeer placed his hooves on their knees and looked up at them, tears welling up in his eyes yet again.

"Sanji! Zoro! I'm sorry. I didn't know he would do something like…this. I didn't know anything about this."

"What exactly did you tell him?" Sanji asked, his voice sounded heavy.

"I told him that I don't want to see you two fighting, trying to kill each other. I don't want you two to hate each other." He whispered in a muffled voice, tears running down his hairy face. "And he said he could help. I didn't know what he was up to. I..."

Sanji pressed his face to his hands and took a deep breath, trying to hide his disappointment. After a few seconds, he breathed out and let his hands sliding down his face to rest on his knees.

"We don't hate each other, Chopper! We just…"

He frowned and then shook his head. He didn't know how to explain their relationship to Chopper. Well, yeah, their _relationship_. What kind of relationship that was, he didn't even comprehend. Nakama? Sure! Rivals? Hell yeah! But there was something else about that meat head that made him different from the others. Sanji just couldn't name it properly.

Zoro got a glimpse of the cook's defeated form before turned to the reindeer.

"Right, Chopper! We don't hate each other. And we don't try to kill each other. We never want to." He said reassuringly.

"Smart words, shit head." Sanji grimaced, though his voice softened a little. "You never want to kill me 'cause you know you'd never be able to."

"Same line to you." Zoro shot back.

The cook glared at him but said nothing. He was too tired to argue with that moss head right now. He was awoken too early this morning due to the hot weather of the island they were going to anchor. Spending all day kicking and yelling. He felt exhausted.

Sanji watched the swordsman stroking Chopper's back while telling him that everything wasn't his fault. He could tell the reindeer was still upset.

He had taken their fights too serious and was terrified enough to make a wish for stopping them. And that damn fucking god was stupid enough to take it a love wish and grant it. Now thanked to their genius minds, he wouldn't be able to separate from the marimo more than three feet. For the rest of his life.

It sounded like a joke.

He wished it was just a joke.

However, the red thread on his wrist said the contrast.

A hatred built up in his stomach all of a sudden. Sanji felt his feet tingle and he itched to kick something.

His feeling must be showing clearly on his face 'cause Chopper was looking at him with frightened eyes.

"Sanji…," the reindeer said carefully.

"Yeah, Chopper? What is it?". The cook tried to sound normal. He didn't want his little friend to think that he was blaming him for this or anything.

"Sanji, I've been thinking about how to untie the Thread." Brown eyes looked deeply into blue ones. The silent pleading in Chopper's eyes surprised Sanji a little and he found himself smiling at his nakama.

"Oh? You found any way then?"

"Well, you can't cut it and I'm sure setting it on fire is useless, too."

"Yeah, I agree." Sanji nodded.

"You know, the god said something about you two getting mar..."

"Don't even think about it, Chopper." The cook cut him off.

"But, then you can't get over this."

Zoro reached out to pat the pink hat gently.

"Don't worry about it, Chopper. I make sure I'll have the cook falling for me someday. So much that he'd be going to ask me to marry him."

"Like hell I would."

"Then you want to be with me like this forever, cook?" Zoro grinned at the other man.

"Shit no!" Sanji rolled his eyes.

He still wanted to be pissed but he couldn't bring himself to do it when Chopper was laughing like that.

The little reindeer spent the next minute just to laugh. It wasn't their joke that made him laugh. It was the fact that they were making fun of each other again. It eased the pain in his heart considerably.

He thought he had pushed his nakama through the worst thing. Thought they would never forgive him. Still, they were talking to him. Didn't push him away. Trying to comfort him though Chopper knew perfectly well that he didn't deserve it. Trying to make him laugh while deep down they just wanted to cry. The thought had tears finding their way to his eyes again.

Sanji cupped the damp face in his hands, wiping the tears with his thumbs.

"Come on, Chopper. I think you've cried enough for today. Now go to sleep. You're tired."

The cook said it a bit firmly and Chopper knew he should obey. He sniffed once and nodded.

"Good night, Sanji! Good night, Zoro!"

"Good night, Chopper." They replied as they watched him heading to the armchair in the corner of the room.

It was Zoro's turn to stand which startled Sanji.

"Oi, where are you going?" The cook asked and rose to his feet.

"I'm going to sleep." Zoro replied, setting off to his hammock.

"Don't just walk, you bastard." Sanji growled. "At least tell me where you are going first."

"I've just told you. I'm going to sleep."

"Sleep? You're going to sleep like this?" The cook held out his left arm.

Zoro looked over his shoulder at the other, frowning. "What do you want to do?"

Sanji turned his head to the side, closing his eyes tightly. He didn't want to admit it but there was nothing he could do about it. And it was annoying the hell out of him.

The swordsman resumed his way to the hammock with a dismissal wave of hand. "Having it or not, I'm going to sleep."

The Thread was stretching dangerously between them. The irritated cook had no choice but followed the back in front of him.

"Fuck, I hate this." He grunted.

"So do I." Zoro replied readily.

When they reached their hammocks, Zoro climbed into his and closed his eyes instantly. Sanji cursed in his throat as he climbed into the hammock beneath Zoro's. He kept cursing until he saw a green head hanging down in front of his face and its owner growling at him.

"Oi, stop murmuring, cook! I don't care if you don't want to sleep, but don't disturb my sleep."

"Okay!" The blond snapped back. "I'm sleeping." He closed his eyes and turned onto his side. "I sleep and wake up in the morning and this shit will be nothing but a nightmare."

Usopp sunk deeper into his hammock and shuddered. If you asked him, he would tell you this was just the beginning of the nightmare.

* * *

**To be continue...**

Hum, I'm wondering what'll happen the next morning.

C ya


	4. Prepare yourself!

Fuu, chap 4 is done. I'm exhausted.

Anyway, hope you like it.

Enjoy!

*wow* I found some spelling mistakes, so I had to make some changes and reupload the chapter. Besides, I decided to change the title as well, 'cause the previous didn't appear in the way wanted it to. :D

This's my first fic, so let me build & improve it with your reviews. :D Say anything you want to say. Every word is welcome.

Again, enjoy!

* * *

It was a nice summer morning on the Grand Line. The sky was clear and high. First sunbeams of the day poured down on the sea like strings of pearls of a giant necklace. Dancing across the blue surface. Flirting with sea breezes. Silently sending warm kisses to men who were chasing their dreams on the most wonderful ocean.

Bathing in the sunshine, a small ship was riding on waves, heading toward an island. The weather promised a great adventure ahead.

Zoro was lying on his stomach, burying one side of his face into the pillow and snoring softly. Arms hung down both sides of his hammock. He was dreaming of a booze party where he'd been challenging everyone and knocking out one by one. When he took another mug offered, he felt a hand tapping on his shoulder and shrugged it off without looking at the owner.

All of a sudden, Zoro was pulled out of his sweet dream by a hard blow to his head. He raised his head sharply and was greeted with a familiar curly brow. He stared at it for a second then dropped his head onto the pillow, closing his eyes.

"What the heck, cook?" He yawned.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Then go." The swordsman answered, unaware of what he had just heard.

"You're going with me."

"What? You have any problem of peeing on your own?" Zoro mumbled.

"Sort of."

_Huh?_ Green brows moved slightly on the tanned forehead. _Does the cook finally go insane?_

Zoro cracked his eyes open and stared at the man standing beside his hammock. The other's stance looked somehow impatient.

"Hornestly, cook, what do you want?"

Sanji pulled himself up to his full height only to tilt his head down and lock eyes with the swordsman. He then spoke slowly, making sure to let every word sink in the sleepy mind of the moss head.

"I want to go to the bathroom."

"Then go." Zoro almost shouted it at the blond's face. He couldn't get what that bastard was doing or planning to do. Some sort of game in the morning? It wasn't funny at all.

"You're going with me."

_Oh, this is too much. You're so dead, cook!_ The green haired man turned onto his back then threw his legs over the hammock and sat up at the speed of light. He scowled at Sanji, baring his teeth. But then something touched his foot slightly and he reluctantly let his gaze drop. A part of a red thread was resting on his instep. One of its tips tied around his right wrist. And the other one…

_Oh fuck!_ Zoro cursed in his thought. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes tightly as the events of the day before flooded into his mind. How could he forget that? _Shit!_

"How long would it take for you to recollect your memories, marimo? I'm…in a hurry."

Zoro heaved a sigh and scooted off his hammock. He followed Sanji to the wardrobe standing in a corner. He watched the cook pulling out some clothes. Oh, so that bastard was going to take a shower.

_Huh?_ Came to think of it, what'd he be doing while the cook would be taking a shower? What would the cook be doing while Zoro'd be showering? And what if he or Sanji needed to relieve some certain kinds of needs? He didn't feel like standing near the cook while he s... _Holly fuck! This is getting ridiculous._

The cook did not say a word all the way to the bathroom and that made the swordsman frown slightly. Normally, he would lament the lack of privacy. Zoro had half expected to hear strings of curses flowing from the cook's mouth. But Sanji just kept quiet and expressionless.

When they were in the bathroom, the blond tossed his clothes on the shelf then moved to the toilet in the furthest corner.

Zoro decided to brush his teeth so that he could start his morning work-out after that. He brought his right hand to the sink to pick up his toothbrush. One horrifying second later, he heard Sanji yelled and realized with late regret that he had been stretching the Thread. He turned around on his heels quickly in an attempt to move closer to the cook to remain the three feet distance. But it was just another big mistake he made within five seconds.

The closer they were, the faster they reunited_. _Nothing could stop them from finding each other again ~.

Zoro lost his balance when Sanji's back hit his chest and his feet slipped on the tiled floor. He fell hard on his back with Sanji lying on top of him. The larger man gasped for air as he was crushing between the cook's body and the cold floor. Blond strands brushed against his cheek and tickled his neck.  
A furious hiss left the cook as he rolled over to get off of the swordsman's chest and jump to his feet. He didn't wait for the other to stand before shouting at him.

"You fucking stupid idiot. What the hell did you do?"

Zoro pushed his body up by one hand, getting up slowly until he found himself facing Sanji. The cook was glaring at him, panting heavily. The swordsman's brows knitted into a deep line as he growled.

"I wanted to brush my teeth. You have any problem against that?"

Zoro knew it was his fault but he didn't care. Not when he got a bump on the back of his head now.

His stubbornness made Sanji grit his teeth.

"Can't you be a bit patient? Why didn't you wait until I'm done?"

On hearing that, Zoro's eyes automatically dropped from the blond's face to his crotch. The cook has his button undone and the zip half-loosened. The swordsman's upper lip twitched at the corner. It might be either a smirk of glee or a wince of disgust. Hard to tell.

"Did you...?" His eyebrows shot high and his hand absentmindedly pointed at the front of the cook's pants.

Sanji's face darkened at the unmistakable ridicule in the swordsman's tone and he retorted with the same mocking manner.

"Ah~, sorry for letting you down, marimo, but not yet."

Then he lifted his right leg to aim a kick to the moss head with an inhuman speed. Unfortunately, the bathroom was quite small; there was not enough space for his attack. And the fact that he was standing less than three feet from Zoro didn't help either. The other man stopped his leg easily with his left forearm and right hand.

They leaned in close and glared at each other. Considering the situation they were in. The blond could see the other man's mind working through his skull. Images flashed across his dark eyes. The marimo could block his previous kick, but it didn't mean he could block all of them without his swords. However, Sanji was not in the position to flatter himself now. There was one more important thing waiting for him to solve.

His bladder was screaming with objection. It made the posture of standing with one leg in the air is really dangerous.

After making their conclusions, Sanji pulled his leg back as Zoro withdrew his arms. The swordsman spoke before the cook had enough time to get back to the toilet.

"I'm brushing my teeth."

"After I peed." Sanji said shortly then turned around, but a large hand stopped him by the shoulder.

"I'm not just standing doing nothing while you're pleasing yourself. Let me get my toothbrush first."

"It'll be just like thirty seconds, marimo. Then you can brush your fucking teeth as much as you want." The cook argued as he shifted on his feet uncomfortably.

Zoro'd be damn if he let this opportunity slip through his fingers. He looked into the visible blue eye and showed all his teeth to the cook in a big shit eating grin.

"No," he said softly, "We're gonna get my toothbrush first, then I'll be brushing my teeth while you'll be doing what the fuck you want to do. Or we keep standing here and you can _do it_ right on that spot."

Anger flared up inside Sanji like a huge flame. Burning his organs, destroying his senses, blocking all his thoughts. It took all the willpower he had to stay still, to not show his shoe so far into that bastard's mouth, breaking all his teeth, and throw himself into something ashamed. He'd been holding back for enough time and he needed to release _now_.

"You're an asshole, you know that?" The blond breathed out finally.

The waver in the cook's voice made Zoro's grin grow. He spat a "Thank you" and turned to the sink.

The green haired man was taking his sweet time to annoy the cook. His hand reached out slowly, slower than necessary, to gather his toothbrush. He plastered the toothpaste onto the stick. Again, agonizingly slow. Ears perking up to catch any insulting word the cook might soon throw at him.

The blond did want to yell at the swordsman to rush him but he wouldn't give that bastard a chance to take further advantage on his miserable situation. His pride told him there was always time for revenge. Fixing a glare on the green head, Sanji imagined he was crushing that piece of seaweed against the mirror, beating the muscular body up until it became nothing but a sticky pile of flesh.

Until there were no reasons to buy more time, Zoro turned around and smiled at the glare he received.

"Thanks for your waiting, cook."

Despite of his soft, almost friendly expression, Zoro tried to sound as much mocking as he could. He grinned around his toothbrush when he took a glance at two fists forming in the cook's pants pockets. Chuckling as the cook quickly turned to move to the toilet.

Except for sleeping and drinking, Zoro found it enjoyable to annoy the annoying cook. Pissing him off. Seeing him go mad. Then getting into fights with him. A good way of training.

_This is not a bad start of a new day. _Zoro admitted.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Zoro was pushed out of the bathroom by the cook. Sanji warned him to not move his fucking arm before slamming the door in his face. The only thing the swordsman could do now was leaned flush against the wooden door and waited. Sanji, on the other hand, had his left arm spreading while showering with the other.

The blond put on his clothes after the shower, dried the bathroom with a mop then opened the door. What he saw on the other side of the door made him roll his eyes twice. The meaty, tanned arm with a red thread on the wrist rested nonchalantly on the threshold, right in front of Sanji's toe. The muscular body leaned against the door frame; the green head fell to one side. The broad chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Zoro was asleep outside of the bathroom.

_Only he can sleep at a place like this._

Sanji's mouth slowly stretched into a devilish smile as a genius idea popped into his head. He contemplated stepping back in the bathroom and locking the door. Then just a gentle swing and he could leave the rest to the Thread. All he would do after that was laughed his head off when the swordsman had his face flattening against the bathroom door.

The cook's plan of revenge was playing in his head like a movie and he did laugh as he stared down at that green head. However, before he could put it into action, he heard footstep drawing to their direction. The exit door of the storage opened and Robin's feature came into sight.

That was the first time in his life where Sanji didn't feel happy seeing one of his beautiful ladies. Actually, he found it a little disappointed when the archaeologist stopped in front of him.

She smiled at him. The cook smiled back.

"Good morning, cook-san." Robin said with her naturally calm voice.

"Good morning, Robin-chan. You look very beautiful in the morning, my sweet."

Soon, however, his nature came back fully.

"Thanks, cook-san." She smiled again. "Uhm, last night, I suppose, was a bit difficult for you."

"Ah~, Robin-chan is so caring~." Sanji crooned. "Thanks to the marimo's good sleeping manner, I managed to get some sleep last night."

The cook kept his smile while mentally wincing at the fact he had just praised the moss head for his sleeping-like-death habit, which normally got on his nerves.

"Oh, I see. You two had a great night then." Robin said softly.

"Robin-chan!" Sanji whimpered and brought his hands up to cover his left chest. "Don't say such a hurt thing. My heart is only for you, my queen." He looked at Robin with a painful expression and watery eyes. It made she giggled.

The archaeologist then pointed at the open door behind him and asked politely. "May I…?"

"Oh, of course, my beautiful flower." The previous status on his face was immediately replaced with a broad grin and the blond quickly stepped out of the bathroom. He bowed as the raven haired woman passed him.

Sanji waited until Robin was in the bathroom and closed the door behind her, he then turned to look down at the sleeping swordsman. Without a second of hesitation, one long leg rose to show mercilessly into the man's face. To his unpleasant surprise, though, a large hand shot up just in time to catch the black shoe. Pushing it away from his face, Zoro stood up, irritated.

"That's not a nice way to wake somebody up, cook."

"Who says I just wanted to wake you up?" The blond chuckled.

"You just wanted to kick me while I was sleeping, didn't you? Does your _gentlemanliness _allow it?" The swordsman retorted mockingly.

"Tch... My gentlemanliness doesn't apply to a slop like you." Sanji countered readily.

"Who did you call a slop just now, you fucking curlicue?" Narrowing his eyes, Zoro growled dangerously.

"Just you and me here, stupid moss head… who do you think "slop" can describe best?" Asked Sanji with a smirk.

They started a verbal fight instead of a physical one. Swearing and insulting each other all the way up to the deck.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

Sanji stepped onto the deck after Zoro, kicking the trap door shut. The cook then trod slowly to the stair leading up to the galley but stopped when he was just at its foot. This was the second time in this morning where the cook headed to one direction while the swordsman headed to the opposite one. Blue eyeballs ran a circle in their sockets before the blond aimed a kick to the moss head's ass.

Zoro jumped up several feet at the sudden attack. He spun around and was greeted with an innocent look on Sanji's face. So that damn cook had chosen this time to take his revenge, huh? Not a smart decision, though, since Zoro now had his swords with him. Breathing out calmly, the swordsman took hold of Wado's hilt and drew it out. The blade was only inches out before it was pushed back into its sheath by Sanji's foot.

Dark eyes glanced up irritatingly at the cook, but that bastard wasn't looking at him. He was busying lighting a cigarette. Hands cupping the smoke while foot still resting on Zoro's sword.

After his cigarette was lit, Sanji flicked the match over the railing, onto the sea. The thin chest rose as the blond took a long drag. He let his eyes close and the familiar scent of nicotine fill his lungs. A growl of "Oi, bastard" was directed at him and Sanji blew the smoke out before opening his eyes to look at the man in front of him.

"If you wana fight," Zoro said, pushing Sanji's foot away, "then hurry up."

He unsheathed the sword, but again, was forced to put it back by the same foot.

"I don't want to fight with you. I want to ask you something." The blond withdrew his foot.

"What?"

"I want to know where you were going before I stopped you."  
"It's none of your fucking business." Zoro snorted.

Blond brows frowned in an irritated way and the cook nearly punched the swordsman's face as he held out his left arm.

"You think so?" He gritted his teeth.

"Fine," Zoro showed his hands into his pockets, "I was, and I am, going to get my weights. What do you want to do about it?"

"You're not going to." Sanji said indifferently without looking at the swordsman.

"Don't tell me what to do or not, dartboard. Who do you think you are?"

A small smirk was pulled at the corner of his mouth. Sanji blew the smoke out of his lungs and into the other man's face.

"I am the cook of this ship, who feed you every single day, marimo." He whispered and grinned when Zoro coughed.

"That doesn't give you the right." The swordsman shouted angrily.

"Oi, everything okay?" On hearing the familiar voice, the blond's head tilted up. His grin stretched from ear to ear as an orange head stuck out of the edge of the crow nest.

"Good morning, Nami-san." Sanji waved at her.

"Good morning, Sanji-kun." Nami waved back. Her lips curled down in a slight frown as she rolled her eyes from side to side, scanning the deck. Thin brows creasing, she took in the sight of an angry swordsman and a happy cook.

"Are you fighting again?"

Sanji held up his hands. "Oh, no. Nothing like that, Nami-san. We're just talking."

"Hum, alright." Nami didn't look convinced, though. "Ah, we're gonna reach the next island tomorrow morning. Do we have enough food until then?"

"Don't worry, Nami-san. We still have some tunas. Enough for today if Luffy didn't sneak out last night and gulp down everything."

"Okay." Nami chuckled. "Uhm, you two..." She bit back the words when they were on the tip of her tongue. A glance at Zoro's face told her that he was very unhappy with their situation right now and there was no need for bringing up the Thread subject again.

"What will you do?" She asked instead.

"We're gonna make breakfast, Nami-san. Is.."

"What? We?" the green haired man cut in.

The cook's face wore a nasty smile when he turned to the swordsman.

"Yes. We. We means you and me, marimo."

"Why do I have to make breakfast with you?"

"'Cause we're gonna eat it, dumbass." Blue eyes rolled sarcastically. "And 'cause I'm sticking with you," Sanji went on, not giving the other man a chance to protest. "You're allowed to stay in the kitchen while I'm cooking."

"Like I want to." Zoro snorted. "No, cook, I'm gonna train."

"No, Zoro, you're gonna go to the kitchen with Sanji-kun. And don't ever think about fighting or anything. I want to have breakfast as usual. So do you and the others." Nami warned him. "If you cause any trouble in there, I'm gonna double your debt."

"What?"

The cook's effort to suppress a smirk failed easily as he watched the swordsman's face reddening. However, he hid it behind his smoke and looked up at the navigator.

"Is there anything I can make for you, Nami-san?"

"A cup of coffee would be great. Thank you, Sanji-kun." Nami smiled.

Sanji grinned around the spent cigarette. "Yes, Nami-san." He then dropped his head and his grin widened when he saw the shocking expression on Zoro's face.

"Come on, marimo." The cook passed the stunned man after kicking him in the leg.

Zoro almost tripped over himself to catch up with Sanji. "Oi, you bastard. Wait up!"

A breeze blew across Going Merry, stopping for a moment to play with the blond hair before throwing itself into the vastness of the ocean.

Sanji's smirk never left his face as he and Zoro headed to the galley.

_Just wait and see, marimo. You won the first round. In the bathroom. But in the kitchen, I'm the one who calls the shots. Prepare yourself for hell!_

This was definitely a nice summer morning on the Grand Line.

* * *

**To be continued...**

Prepare yourself for the madness! Mawahahaha

C ya


	5. Fire

Chap 5! Fu *wipe forehead*

Thank you, my lovely readers. I know you love them, just like I do. All the reviews did help me a lot to try and write this. thanks again, you guys. I love you! *hearts flying around*

Okay, this is the next chapter. Hope you like it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Robin stopped in front of the opened door as she heard noises coming from the galley. She stepped in and sat down on a bench, putting her book on the table. A small smile curled her lips as she watched the two men bickering. Zoro had his arms folding tightly on his chest and his forehead wrinkling.

"Hurry up, cook! Why the fuck are you taking so much time with these potatoes? Just cook them already."

"Shut the hell up, marimo. What do you know about cooking?" Sanji growled and tossed the peeled potatoes over to the swordsman. "Rinse them."

"Don't order me around, curlicue." Zoro snapped back. "I'm not your servant."

Sanji glared at the swordsman. "If you want to have breakfast soon, I hafta help me."

"You wish."

"Then say goodbye to your workouts."

"What?" Zoro's eyes widened. "Don't push your luck, dartboard. Leave my workouts out of this."

"Leave my brows out of this, moss head."

They only noticed their presence when Nami joined Robin at the table and sighed soundly.

"Ah~, my beautiful ladies." The cook abandoned his argument with the swordsman immediately. " Today is a lucky day for me to see both of you sitting there, shining like suns in the sky " Sanji crooned, pink hearts flying around his head.

Zoro snorted at the sight. "I don't think we need more suns here, cook."

"Shut your mouth, you muscle brain." Sanji snapped as he turned to bring the girls their coffees.

"Help yourselves, my sweet." He said and smiled charmingly before going back to the sink.

Nami sipped at her cup and watched as Zoro followed Sanji's every step, growling while the cook just ignored him. Her thin brows creased in deep thought.

On her seat beside Nami, Robin was flipping through her book but stopped when she saw the navigator's face lighting up with a quite wicked smile.

"Hum, it sure is quite inconvenient for you two, neh?" Nami asked after putting on a concerned look.

On hearing his goddess' question, Sanji turned around from the stove and made a pitiful expression.

"In fact, it's too inconvenient, Nami-san. To have to see this meathead every second, twenty four hours a day."

Zoro opened his mouth to counter but Nami waved him aside.

"It's hard to have to go everywhere and do everything with that thread, isn't it?"

"Yes, Nami-san." Sanji nodded and sniffed. "It's hard for me to make you delicious food while seeing his ugly face."

Nami once again cut him off before Zoro had enough time to snap at the cook.

"Why aren't you hurry and love each other then?" She asked with a supportive smile on her face.

The cook and the swordsman reacted simultaneously, pointing at each other and speaking with disgust.

"Love him? No way in a million years!"

Nami frowned slightly, cocking her head to the side. "But you two can't live like this forever. What if we're under attack? How would you be fighting while pulling each other in every move?"

The two men were taken aback by the fact the navigator had mentioned. They had never thought about how could they manage to fight while having to remain the three feet distance between them.

"See?" The girl's voice drew their attention back to her. "So many unpredictable things can happen with you two sticking together like this. We have to solve it as soon as possible. You have to solve it as soon as possible."

"I know, Nami-san." Sanji sighed. "But we have a problem here."

"What's problem?" Nami asked, surprised. "You two only have to get married."

"That _is _the problem." Zoro shouted.

"Don't worry. I will help." The navigator assured him.

"How?"

"I will lend you money to hold your wedding."

The galley felt into silence when the two men's jaws busied to hit the floor.

Nami thought for a second and added. "Oh, and I won't charge any interest since we're nakama." She finished with a lovely smile.

Robin could not suppress a chuckle.

At that time, they all heard footstep outside the galley and turned to see Luffy storming inside, yelling noisily.

"SANJI! MEAT!"

Startling, the cook quickly turned back to his work. "No, Luffy. Not yet." He muttered.

Luffy cried at that. "Why not? I'm starving."

"Well, I think you have to wait for...fifteen minutes." Sanji told the drooling boy while his hands moved quickly on the frying pan, stirring and adding spices. But Luffy was way too hungry to wait for even one minute. And when he was hungry, he was annoying as hell.

"Why is breakfast not done yet? Were you and Zoro fighting again?" Luffy's pursed his lips.

The cook found his patience gradually slipped. "No, we weren't. But it was a bit hard to move and do stuff, especially cooking, with a thread dangling between us."

"You should be hurry."

Sanji growled through his clenched teeth as his hands moved faster. "I'm trying. Can't you see?"

"Ma…I mean you two should be hurry and get rid of it." The captain said, picking his nose nonchalantly.

"Don't start it again!" Zoro warned him.

"But I don't want my breakfast to be late anymore."

Setting his mind, the boy moved to place his hands on his nakama's shoulders. "As your captain, I order you two to love each other and get married and make me breakfast quickly."

At the doorway, Chopper was bending backward to look at Luffy as the rubbery captain flew across him, out of the galley.

"Go drown, you fucker!" He heard Sanji and Zoro shouting.

...

After breakfast, everyone left Zoro to help Sanji wash the dishes.

"Meathead, be fucking careful or else you'll break them all." Sanji snapped at Zoro when the swordsman placed a clean dish on a pile of others with an unnecessary power. Zoro mumbled something while his other hand took another dish the cook held out.

"Don't grip it too hard, you idiot." The cook smacked him upside the head. "With soap on it, the harder you grip it, the easier it'll slip."

He grunted after resuming the washing. "Can't trust a muscle head like you in something subtle like this."

"Yeah, I can't be subtle like you." Zoro said, eyes rolling sarcastically. "Then why the hell did you ask me to do this in the first place?"

It was Sanji who rolled his eyes this time. "Because we are fucking stuck together, dumbass. Let me remind you this. We have to go everywhere and do everything together from now on. At least until this shit comes off."

"I don't think it will come off any time soon." The swordsman grunted and tossed the last dish on the sink.

"I said be careful, moss head." The cook kicked his leg.

"Stop kicking me, cook."

"Stop being careless with the dishes."

"Fuck." Zoro cursed. "We're done with the dishes. What now?"

"Now we dry and put them in the drawer." Sanji answered and threw a towel at the swordsman's face.

Zoro growled behind the cloth. "And then?"

"And then I'm going to make some snacks for my ladies." Sanji leaned against the sink, watching the green haired man drying the dishes.

"What about my workouts?" Zoro yelled. "I don't want to be in here with you all day, cook. I want to go out there and train. And why the hell am I doing this?" He added and threw the towel on the damp dishes.

"Well, we don't have many choices, marimo." The blond smirked lazily at him. "You'll have to find other ways to train in here. Besides," He leaned in, his breath ghosting across the man's face, and whispered, his smirk growing wider "...You're good at drying."

Zoro looked like he was trying to not give the bastard a good punch in the face. "How the hell can I train in here?"

Sanji scratched his chin. "Who knows?"

"Listen, cook." The swordsman grasped his arm and made the blond face him. "We will work this out. I have things I have to do. I can't afford to waste time with you."

Pulling the hand off his arm, Sanji started calmly. "I have things I have to do, too. One of them is feeding this crew. Including you."

"But you don't need _a day _to cook a meal. So do it quickly and spare my time." Zoro said, irritated. His eyes followed the cook's movement as he pulled out the drawer to put the dishes away, green brows furrowing deeply.

"Cooking is a _process_. Not just boiling water. There're lots of interesting things to do besides _cook_." Sanji lifted his head to give the swordsman a mischievous look.

"L…Like what?" Words escaped Zoro's mouth difficultly when he felt his throat go dry all of a sudden.

Sanji's answer was taking a fistful of his white shirt's collar and pulling him forward.

...

The blond looked down at the man beneath him. His breaths came in and out quickly through his flared nostrils. He was biting his lower lips as his mind was concentrating on his hand's job. His arm's muscles rippled in movements of folding and stretching.

Sanji watched with amuse as sweat started collecting on the man's temples. He often saw Zoro's body wet after his workouts. But at this short distance, with tanned skin glistening with sweat, it gave an impression as though his body was made from water. Yet capable of so much strength.

Sanji could admit that he had always liked Zoro's nice body. The way it moved when he fought. So determined. So confident. That moss head was definitely the kind of people who always believed in their own strength. And having that strong person under his control was something he would take time to enjoy.

The thought pulled a smirk at his lips as he tossed a peeled potato into a tub of water on the table. Picking up another one from the sack, Sanji's hands moved around the bulb fast, making dirty peel fall and fall.

Zoro ignored it as one slid down from his head. If he said just one word, it would give his dignity away. No. He couldn't afford to lose to that shit cook. He averted his thought back to the counting, his thumb never stopping pushing his body up and down.

_525…526…527_

Seeing the firm line of the other man's jaw move slightly as he gritted his teeth made Sanji's smirk wider.

"Honestly, marimo. Where did you get that piece of moss from? Or is it grass?"

Zoro's brow creased deeper. _Ignore it. Just ignore it. _He told himself.

The blond amusement was fueled more by the swordsman's coldness. He pressed on. "What if I manure it? Will it grow flowers? Or some strange kind of kelp?"

_532…533…534_

Sanji chuckled and stood from the bench. "Oi." He called.

Looking up from the floor, Zoro saw the cook beckoning him to get up. "What the hell?"

"I forgot something." He said simply, starting to tread to kitchen cabinets. He took a handful of salt once he got there then went back to the table. The cook resumed his peeling while the swordsman continued with his pushups. After a good five minutes insulting his company, Sanji went bore when all he got back was a complete silence. The meathead had more self-control than he thought he did. He rose to his feet again, dragging the other man with him, this time targeting to the fridge.

Zoro shouted. "What the fuck, shit cook? Don't tell me you forgot another thing! Why the hell didn't you get all of them before starting your fucking peeling?"

Sanji didn't answer the swordsman as he pulled out a lemon. His smug expression pushed another vein on the swordsman's head to a breaking point.

"You better not forget anything anymore or I'll cut your hands off." He threatened from his position by the cook's legs.

The blond's nose wrinkled at the sight of sweat running down Zoro's spine. Blue eyes glinted as their owner smirked. He smirked quite a lot today his face's muscle felt like it'd need some workouts to regain its normal status.

"Looks like the pushups isn't enough. Let me help you then."

Before Zoro could react, Sanji'd spun on his heel and dropped his full weight onto the man's back.

Suddenly forced to carry extra weight, Zoro's thumb trembled violently and slipped. His body contacted the floor with a heavy thud and he kissed it with his face.

The greenhead's control flared up, then exploded into ash. Shoving the cook's body off him, he pulled himself up his feet to roar.

"What the hell did you do? Are you testing my patience?"

"What if I am?" Sanji asked with his chin tilting up.

Zoro bared his teeth in a growl. "Don't fuck with me, bastard."

His arm reached out to grasp his swords but being kicked away.

"Don't draw your swords in my kitchen." Sanji warned him.

"I don't give a damn about your fucking kitchen. Think you can do whatever you want in your little nest? I'm done with you." Zoro shouted, his face flushing. He took a firm grip on the blond's wrist, pulling him towards the door. "We're going out of here now."

"I don't have time for your bullshit." Sanji pulled back his hand. "I still have to make the snacks for Nami-san and Robin-chan."

The swordsman's anger erupted like a volcano. "THEY CAN SURVIVE A FUCKING AFTERNOON WITHOUT YOU BABYSITTING THEM."

"I DON'T BABYSIT THEM."

Luffy chose right this moment to storm into the galley to demand food. The rubbery boy braked sharply in front of the two men, at the sight of their reddening faces, pursing his lips.

"Ma, ma… As your captain…"

The captain's second attempt to assert his place as a captain failed miserably.

"Why didn't they listen to me?" He asked himself as he flew through the still opened door. This time it was Zoro who did the kicking.

That day had been a hard one for Ussop. He'd had to fish his unconscious captain out of the sea five times in total. That told him that Zoro and Sanji's mood was really, really bad. The inconvenience the Thread gave was bringing their last drop of restraint to the boil. Adding to the nonstop conflict between them. Making it burn like fire.

Dinner on Going Merry had never been this quiet. Aside from Luffy's chomping and moaning sounds, everyone's communication was mainly exchange of worry looks. The thickness of murderous aura coming from them made Usopp stumble on the deck when the two men passed him to take the night's second watch.

The sniper tried his best to stay awake through the night. He didn't like the idea of waking up at midnight and finding that their ship was on fire.

* * *

**To be continued...**

C ya


	6. As long as

Chap 6! :D

Hope you like it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Where the hell is here?"

"Who knows?"

"It's your fucking fault. You got us lost."

"If you weren't busy flirting with that girl while her brother was giving us directions, we wouldn't."

"If your tofu-for-brain knew when people say left, they mean _left_, not _right_, we wouldn't."

"Shut the hell up, dartboard."

"You shut up, moss head."

After a moment of eyes fighting, Sanji broke his glare to look around. They had wandered on a track through a forest and now were standing on a hill.

Spreading out on the hill's side was a meadow. Grass was green. An eye-comforted green color. Not like a certain piece of moss someone carried on his head. Here and there, colorful flowers were waving in breezes. Sanji could feel the summer weather in every breath he took in. The scenery was purely beautiful yet completely foreign.

"I think we should go back before we get lost farther." Sanji said.

"Back to where?"

"The beach. Where we're supposed to be now." The cook rolled his eyes.

Zoro yawned. "Nah, I'm tired. Why don't we just stay here? I want to take a nap."

"The hell! If we're not allowed to come back to the ship until sunset, I want to spend my day on a beach, bathing with beautiful ladies or trying some local recipes. I don't want to be _here_ with _you_." Sanji waved his hand at their surroundings, annoyed at how romantic the scene looked.

That had Zoro clicking his tongue. "Tch! I don't want, either. But we live on the sea. What's the use of going to a beach while we can enjoy some time on land?"

The realism of Zoro's words surprised Sanji a little. He paused to consider the idea.

"But what about the plan?"

"Do you really care about the plan that much?" Zoro cocked one eyebrow.

Sanji thought for a second. "No." He said.

"Good" was Zoro's simple statement before he set off down the hill with his hands behind his head.

The loud rustle of grass being stepped on drew the swordsman's gaze to his side. He realized the cook had jumped the distance between them and now was in front of him and going backward. His cig moved up and down on his lips as he spoke, a finger pointing at his company.

"Oi, don't go on your own, little marimo. You'll get lost before we even come down there."

"Shut the hell up, will you?" Zoro snapped.

"No, because we're going down the hill. Straight. Not diagonally." Sanjji exhaled through his lightly parted lips.

Zoro bared his teeth in a growl but it didn't help to cover his embarrassment up. "Talkative cook." He mumbled.

"Oi, I just don't want us to get lost again. Remember it's your fault we're here now."

"No, it's Nami's fault."

...

Three hours ago...

A blazing sun was shinning down as Nami came onto deck from her and Robin's room. "Today's a hot day, man." The navigator murmured while covering her eyes.

"Of course it's hot." She added dully after hearing a painful sound of some china broken. Immediately followed by Sanji's "Stupid marimo" shout and a growl of "Shut up, shit cook" from Zoro. Pale hands reaching up to rub her temples, the girl sighed heavily.

They had been at the dock for three days. The log was going to set fully before midnight. That meant they had another day to explore this island.

It was a small yet beautiful one with beaches surrounding the only one town in the center. The crew spent the previous days for restocking, shopping and playing. Nami wanted to use her last day to stay inboard and draw this island's map. Robin might want to wander and learn about the place's history. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper would find some fun in the town. And the two men. The source of her headaches these days. What would they do?

No one had an idea of what had happened between them the day before they docked but it looked like a serious problem.

Nami woke up the fist morning to find them glaring at each other in the galley. They then went to the market and returned three hours later, bickering and forgetting to buy her favorite tea. Luffy said they should find a doctor in the island to cure their mental ill if Chopper couldn't after they had kicked his and Usopp's sandcastles away. The poor reindeer also experienced a scary night when he witnessed Sanji shattering the bathroom's door, exposing its naked occupant. Yesterday, Usopp came to the redhead to complain about hole on the deck which was Zoro's massive weight's work and how he had to repair it.

And that was the straw that broke the camel's back. The drop that overflowed the cup. Finally, their stupidity broke the navigator's patience.

The breaking sound coming from the galley stamped an angry mark on Nami's forehead. These idiots just never learned. She had to teach them some lessons about saving money.

She went to gather the crew for an urgent meeting without Sanji and Zoro's acknowledgement.

Breakfast was going on with an easy atmosphere today. It made Zoro's eyes and Sanji's brows twitch hard. After Nami had put her spoon down, the cook took her plate and stood, but the girl caught him by the wrist and pulled him to sit back.

"No, Sanji-kun, don't worry about the plates. Today." She added. Although feeling puzzled, Sanji still obliged and waited for her to speak.

The navigator scanned the table one time to learn the others' reactions. Luffy replied to her with a huge grin around his food. Robin gave her a smile and when she looked to Usopp and Chopper, she saw enthusiastic nods. She smiled and turned to the two men.

"OK, Zoro, Sanji-kun…We had decided that you should rest for a while. You don't have to cook anything today, Sanji-kun."

"But…"

"No buts. We know you two have had a few tough days, which made you…well…be out of your mind. So..." Nami pressed at the first sign of protest, "So, we think you should go somewhere to…think about…things…"

Even more puzzled about the girl's incoherent speech, Sanji said after shooting a glance toward the green haired man beside him.

"I don't think I get what you're saying, Nami-san. Why should we go anywhere or think about…whatever you want us to think about?"

Zoro asked, eyebrows furrowing. "What are you up to, Nami?"

Figurative words would never work for idiots. Didn't know who said that but Nami had to agree to them. It made perfect sense in this situation. Sighing, the navigator then made a dark face, which she always used when she wanted to threaten them. And even Zoro could never ignore it.

"In short term," she said slowly, "today, you will go out on a date."

"A what?" Both Zoro and Sanji were sure they had heard her wrong.

"A date." Luffy said from his plate. The boy thought for a brief moment then added. "It's captain order."

"Are you crazy?" The two men asked, stunned.

From his seat next to Robin, Usopp stood and pointed an accusing finger at them. "If you don't solve your problem, it's us who are going to go crazy."

The sniper's rare bravery moment was wiped out instantly by a glare from the swordsman. Out of the corner of his eyes, the cook saw Chopper shifting on his seat. Blond head turned to the side and Sanji was caught in the gaze those round eyes was pouring.

"Please? Sanji? Zoro?" The reindeer pleaded after a moment of locking eyes with his nakama.

Sanji sighed inwardly. He knew the little doctor, more than anyone else, would want Zoro and him to get along well. In order to make up for his mistake. If things went on this way, his previous fear was going to come true. It was just the matter of time.

But a date with the marimo? Come on! What the hell was going on here?

Never breaking his eyes from Chopper's, Sanji spoke in a softer voice. "You don't understand, Chopper. This is…this is different. A date? What the hell are we gonna do on a date?" He held up his hands in surrender.

To Zoro's annoyance, Nami flashed him a big smile before she pulled out of her pocket a small bag.

"Don't worry, we got it all planned. There is some money you can spend on your date." In a swift move, the girl reached out to take a hold on Zoro's hand and pull at it. Zoro stared at her wide eyes as she placed the bag in his palm.

"Use them to buy food and drinks. And from what I heard, there is a beach in the south of this island where you can find something…more interesting. Don't come back before sunset." She finished and smiled again.

Never since they'd known her, the crew saw Nami giving someone her money _and _smiling when she did. Zoro and Sanji were completely caught off guard and a minute later finding them kicked off the ship.

After the couple left, the redhead was cornered to deal with the rest of the crew.

Chopper asked, still nervous. "Will it work, Nami?"

"I don't know, Chopper. It depends on them. We did what we could. Now all we have to do is wait." Nami placed a hand on the pink hat and patted it gently.

"What is it on the beach in the south, Nami-chan?" Robin's voice was as calm as ever.

A mischievous smile pulled the navigator's lips. "It's a love beach. Couples come there to spend time together."

"Twisted." The archaeologist returned the smile.

"Nami," Usopp spoke to draw the girl's attention to him. "Did you actually give them money?"

"Yeah. So?" The redhead asked challengingly. "Just some beris. No big deal if compared with the cost of repairing the damages they'll cause."

"I think you would have to give more than just some beris, Nami-chan."

The older lady's statement had Nami confused. "Why would I, Robin?" She then turned to the direction Robin was pointing to and caught the sight of a drooling Luffy. She gulped.

...

Currently, at the hill's foot...

Covering his eyes, Sanji let his head fall back as he watched the clear, blue sky above them. This place was a beautiful place. There were green grass, colorful flowers and butterflies, soft sunshine and cool breezes. It gave Sanji an impression that they were in some kind of fairy tale. It would have been perfect. It would have.

The blond dropped his elbows on his knees and looked down at his company. His face felt. He was forced to go on a date and his date was sleeping. And snoring. He couldn't blame the swordsman though. Surrounded by the nature's beauty like this, you just wanted to relax and enjoy your peaceful time.

Sanji shifted to stretch out beside Zoro, mirroring his position. Smells filled his nose instantly. Smells of flowers, grass and soil and something the cook didn't register quite well. It smelled like sweat and steel. And it came from the man lying next to him.

Surprisingly, Zoro's smell somehow fitted with the place's and formed some sort of pleasant scent which Sanji didn't realize he was breathing in. The blond gradually drifted off to sleep while listening to Zoro's soft snores.

...

"…ook."

Sanji felt he was shaken by the shoulder and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and Zoro's outline became clear.

"Oi, cook. Want to drink?" The green haired man was waving a bottle above his face. Pulling himself up in a sitting position, the blond took the bottle from Zoro's grip.

"Thanks." He said before taking a gulp from it.

"You're welcome." Zoro replied.

"Hum?" Sanji raised his visible eyebrow. "You're too friendly today. What the hell, marimo?"

Zoro countered readily. "So are you. What the hell?"

The cook only chuckled. They sat in a comfortable silence for a long while before Sanji happened to remember something.

"Oi, what's the time?"

"I don't know." The swordsman said nonchalantly.

"I think we should get back to the ship." Sanji suggested after having a quick look at the sky.

"Why? It's not sunset yet. We can't go back."

"But I worry about Nami-san and Robin-chan." Standing on his feet, the blond said and dusted his pants. "What will they do if I'm not cooking for them? And we also have Luffy."

Zoro sighed. "They can take care of themselves, cook. Maybe they are having a feast."

"But they prefer my food." Sanji looked so proud of himself when he said so.

"But you don't have to feed them every time, everywhere. Stop obsessing about feeding." Zoro stared up at his nakama.

"Obsessing?" The cook's voice was hoarse through his gritted teeth. "You think I'm obsessed with feeding?"

He cooked for the crew and that bastard thought he had an obsession.

While they were low on food and floating on the sea, he gave them different dishes every day and that bastard thought he had an obsession.

He thought of Zeff and his missing leg. He thought about the time they spent on that rock back then. Alone on the vast ocean. Starved and frustrated.

He had tried his best to make sure no one would be suffering what he'd been through. Maybe it was true he had a feeding obsession, but that… that didn't make the bastard have the right to rub it at his face like that.

Anger flared up inside him, making blood rush to his head. Sanji was now too furious to think clearly or care about the consequence. He roared, lifted his leg and kicked.

Zoro, surprised by the other man's anger, didn't have enough time to react and was sent flying when the cook's shoe contacted his shins. As he landed hard on the ground by his back, air was knocked out of the swordsman's lungs. He opened his mouth to breathe but somehow the simple action couldn't be done. Instead, he felt his lips crushed hard by something soft and warm. His eyes flew open and within a second, they widened when he saw blue eyes looking back at him.

Zoro's body turned into stone and he couldn't think anymore. He couldn't feel the weight of the cook's body pinning him to the ground or the hilts of his swords digging into his side. All he could feel was blond strands brushing his forehead and Sanji's lips against his own.

They both blinked, then pulled back and sat up abruptly. Panting heavily, the two men stared at each other in bewilderment. Neither did or said anything. They just sat there, waiting for their breaths to return while their minds were blowing a million miles away.

Zoro had no idea how long he had sat there until he saw Sanji getting to his feet and realized it was getting dark. The swordsman's body acted automatically, pulling him to a standing position to follow the cook.

How Sanji managed to bring them back to the ship, Zoro didn't know. He was snapped out of his daze only when Luffy punched his shoulder and launched into asking about their date. Zoro heard the cook mumbling something about dinner and let himself dragged to the galley.

An awkward silence covered the small kitchen and its two occupants. The swordsman was taking his time to watch Sanji cooking. However, his thought slipped back to the incident on the meadow. To the cook's anger. To his words. He groaned silently at this point.

The first time he met with Sanji, he was half to death. When Sanji joined the crew, he often fought with him, orally or physically. He didn't know anything about Sanji except that he was an annoyingly amazing cook and a good sparring partner. Zoro's unthinking words must have provoked his nakama's uneasy past or something.

Not that he was denying the fact of him hurting Sanji's feelings, but Zoro had to admit that the lack of privacy had driven him crazy. It had scared him.

He wanted to be the greatest swordsman in the world. He had to be. No one was allowed to get in his way. Even Luffy. But now, because of a ridiculous thread, his chance to beat Mihawk was zero. While Sanji could still find All Blue with him sticking to his side.

But their dreams could be put to the side to think about later. What actually mattered now was what had happened between them recently.

Zoro sighed as his thoughts returned to the cook and his annoying manner. The swordsman had come to a conclusion that Sanji was his trouble source. He had never been able to keep his cool when he was around the cook. Maybe it was _he_ who had an obsession. A foul mouthed, annoying cook obsession or something.

A small hum drew the man out of his train of thoughts. His eyes lifted to see that Sanji was tasting the food. Zoro watched as the cook's lips parted to allow the metal spoon to slip in. The back of his neck heated uncomfortably and he couldn't help but think about the warmness and softness those lips contained. The fact that he still felt them on his own even now annoyed the hell out of him.

The day passed with no one asking about their date anymore. Nami warned Luffy to not disturb the two although she itched to know whether she got her money's worth. She thought her plan was successful due to their silence. On the other hand, the rubbery boy believed that his "captain's order" _finally_ took effect.

...

What surprised the crew during the next day was not the lack of fighting and insulting or the quietening thing. What did surprise and confuse them was the absence of hearts which were usually floating around Sanji's head whenever he went near the ladies. He just came to provide them their drinks, asking them how they were doing. When the ladies told him they were fine and thanked him for the delicious juices, he only smiled then retreated to the galley.

Meanwhile, Zoro stood beside him and looked at the sea with arms folding over his chest. Calmly. No complaints at all.

The more they watched them, the more curious they felt. That afternoon, Chopper was found running to Nami to report the scene he had observed. According to him, Zoro was helping Sanji prepare the lunch's ingredients.

Evening was the ideal time for the navigator to take care of her treasures. On the roof of the galley, Nami was watering the mikan trees, but soon she found herself staring at the two men. Sanji was haft standing, haft sitting on the railing; his eyes closed and his teeth nonchalantly chewed on a cig. The whirr Zoro's massive weights made when he swung them could be heard clearly in the winds.

It was good they weren't fighting, but their silence was eating the redhead bit by bit. She contemplated another plan, but Luffy stopped her.

"Leave them alone, Nami." The boy said from the figure head.

"But Luffy..."

"Ma... They'll be find. They just need time to think about things." He started, absentmindedly stroking a seagull's head. "They sure are shock when suddenly forced to deal with things they've never had to. When the whole thing is worked out, they'll be back to the Zoro and Sanji we've known."

That left the girl silent. Maybe the rest of them just thought about the very outer layer of the situation and how inconvenient they felt. No one actually cared about their nakama's personal problems. About their nakama's feelings.

Nami looked up after a while to see Luffy yelling at the bird who was pecking at his hat. She couldn't help but smile. Luffy was one of some people she'd never be able to understand. In one time, he jumped up and down, demanding Zoro and Sanji to get married and make him breakfast quickly. In another time, he calmly told her to give them time for their problems. Some time he was anything but stupid. Some time he was smart, thoughtfully. Especially when the situation became severe. She thought, shaking her head and chuckling, they did need Luffy as their captain. A crazy captain for a crazy crew.

Night covered the ship in a smooth movement. The sky looked like a black, giant blanket decorated with sparkle beads. Sanji was sitting on the edge of the crownest and smoking. Next to him, the swordsman was staring into pace, his face unreadable. The first half of the double watch passed with no word said. It was too quiet they could hear one another's breaths.

Sudden like the changes of weather on the Grand Line, they both spoke simultaneously.

"Oi."

"Oi."

"What?"

"What?"

"I'm first."

"I'm first."

"The hell?"

"The hell?"

"..."

"..."

They glared at each other for a minute then Sanji brought up a finger to point at his chest. Zoro nodded.

"Well, I... I don't babysit them, you know. The ladies." The cook said, not looking at his nakama. Zoro didn't understand why the hell he was talking about that, but he replied anyway. "I know."

"I care about them. They're nakama. I just want to make sure they're healthy." He continued with a smaller, softer voice.

"I know." Zoro repeated.

"Good."

A brief silence went by.

"Well...about our problem..." Sanji coughed quietly, mentally scolding himself for being this nervous. He knew he had to talk to Zoro about the thread issue and he'd intended to do it with his chin titling up. But...OK, he was a little nervous. No big deal.

"About our problem..." He started again. "I think we will have to live with it for a long while, so we should find the best way to suit our needs. You will help me make the meals quicker then you can go train. Or you can train in the galley while I cook. Either'll be find with me."

Zoro let out an agreed hum and nodded. "Either'll be fine with me, too. As long as you won't sit on my back while I train."

The blond couldn't stop the grin crawling onto his face. "I just wanted to help." But it disappeared when Zoro shot him a glare.

"OK. No help." He held up his hands in mocking surrender. That made Zoro chuckle.

They went through another brief silence before Sanji reminded the swordsman his problem. "What was it that you wanted to say?"

"Hum?...Ah...No, nothing."

"Oh, come on!" The cook rolled his eyes. "Don't be a pansy. Just spit it out, marimo."

"Uhm...You know, I didn't mean..." Zoro scratched his neck. "I didn't mean...you know..."

"I won't know it if you're not gonna tell me what you didn't mean to."

"I'm saying it. So shut the fuck up!" The swordsman snapped with a flushed face. "What I wanted to say was that I didn't mean to say that."

"Hah?" Sanji's face was now wearing a very funny expression. "I'll be damn if I know what the hell you are talking about, marimo."

Zoro mentally groaned. He had to do it. And he was doing it. Now. Immediately.

"OK. What I wanted to say was that I knew you care about our health, so what the fuck was it that I said about you obsessed with feeding, I didn't mean it literally. I meant you didn't have to worry about feeding us all the time. You could take time to rest." He said all the things in one breath. Paused. Then added in a quiet mumble that Sanji almost couldn't catch his words. "I'm sorry."

The blond stood frozen. He stared at the other man as if he was an alien, but slowly, a smile stretched his lips. "It's okay." He said.

Seeing the cook's smile made Zoro feel like the rock that weighed down his stomach being kicked away and he smiled back.

Suddenly, everything seemed to be brighter and simpler. Like the dawn had come earlier. They knew this was just the beginning of the difficulties waiting ahead, but they felt like they could pull it off. As long as they kept their nakamaship.

"Hey, marimo."

"Yeah?"

"It was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

"The hell it was."

"Oh I knew it was."

"It was not."

"Just fucking admit it."

"Why the hell should I?"

"Shitty swordsman."

"Stupid cook."

* * *

**To be continued...**

If they sat down and talked about it in the first place, it would have saved us a lot of time. *sighs*

C ya


	7. A new begining

Hi, hope you guys still remember this :))

Now this is another chapter of the story, where Zoro and Sanji kinda solve their thread problem and what happens when they both willing to work on their new relationship.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Put it down over here, marimo". Sanji instructed as he lowered his own shopping bag on the table. They'd just be back from their stocking trip on this island. Thanks God this island was a famous fashion and entertainment place; therefore they didn't have to worry about marine or other pirate attacks. Plus, the food supplies of this island were really profuse and fresh. Sanji had to muster up all his willpower to turn away from a stall full of red, round kind of roots and some other delicious things, otherwise he would be drowning Zoro and himself in their purchases, and risking breaking his left wrist for good.

Ah, speaking of broken wrists, Sanji curled his fingers a few times and a subtle smile pulled at his lips.

Three weeks ago, the Straw Hat Pirate suffered a sudden attack from another pirate ship. The cruel, aggressive pirates were chasing after Luffy because the stupid rubber boy had pissed their captain off by breaking one of their guy's arm for pissing him off. They announced that they must take revenge and their dignity back or die trying. It was later revealed that Luffy, somehow, stole the poor guy's food in a pub on the island they had just left.

That was what pissed Sanji off the most. Because of his bottomless pit, they had to defend their ship against some nasty yet tough pirates. And because of his stupid Gomu Bazooka that caused Zoro, while they were struggling to fight within the confined length of the thread, to trip over some rolling barrels, crashing into the cook, crushing him down to the floor and twisting his left wrist in a very disturbing way.

However, the part that _really_ pissed the blonde off was what came after the fight. Sunny Go's weapons were used to shoo away the roaring revenge pirates and they sailed off. The green-haired bastard, though not making a fuss like Chopper, or whining apologies like Luff, was really upset with himself. He stared as the little doctor examined the cook's wrist. Guilt, anger, frustration and something else that Sanji couldn't quite read shadowed his eyes, turning his lips downward. That made Sanji more uncomfortable than anything. He didn't like that kind of expression on the marimo's face.

The moment Chopper declared that his wrist was just twisted, not broken, and would be healed in a couple weeks; relief dawned on the swordsman's posture and he then sank down on the deck to get his injuries treated.

It was funny to see the stoic, grumpy, lazy green haired man busying himself in the kitchen under the cook's orders. At first, the blonde felt nothing but annoyed whenever he needed to do something and had to have the swordsman done it for him, whether it was boiling water, chopping vegetables or taking a cigarette out of his pack.

Sanji was like, "Hey, marimo, take this and do this", and Zoro did just that. No arguing, no complaining. No hesitating. The first few days, Sanji had ants crawling under his skin and he felt the urge to take his frustration out on someone. Zoro was right beside him, so he ordered the man around just to get him pissed and start a fight with him. But the confusing marimo just obeyed him like he was his master. And that frustrated Sanji even more, so he kicked his ass for the sake of releasing his double stress.

As time went by, Sanji started to question the swordsman's strange behavior. How the hell did he manage to do whatever Sanji told him to do and not be irritated? If it was him that Zoro was bossing around, the green head would've been dead by now. The cook's first conclusion was that the marimo did that just to see him pissed and laugh inside his head. He tried to provoke Zoro. Asking him if he had eaten something wrong and was loosing the few remaining brain cells in his stupid head. The man surprised him by shrugging and saying that he just wanted to help with the cooking so that the crew wouldn't be starving. It was not like he could do otherwise. They were stuck together. And it was always nice to have someone helping him making meals for the crew and the constantly hungry captain, who caused all this mess. So, Sanji stopped wondering and started enjoying Zoro's helping hands.

He started to observe the other man as time went by. Like how he always pet Chopper's hat and told him it was amazing whenever the little reindeer ran up to them to show them his new inventory on some medicines. Watching Zoro smile while the kid flailing around was quite amusing too. Or how he laughed after scaring the shit out of their sniper. How he liked anything cooked from rice and sea king meat. How he set his jaw and lifted his weights, working hard towards his goal with a determined mind that Sanji really admired (within the small space of his blond head).

Finally, it surfaced from deep inside his conscious and presented to him the concept of this thing between them. He admitted that Zoro was a good guy, an interesting friend and a true nakama. And if Zoro was willing to do anything to make their relationship better, why couldn't he be a big man too and sit down with swordsman to work this out?

He knew he enjoyed Zoro's company. In fact, so much that he was taking advantages of his almost healed wrist.

He liked to ask the green haired man to do things for him, even though his wrist was getting better and he could do quite many of those things by himself. But he asked Zoro anyway, just to see the man scowled at him, complaining about his long lasting injury and yet set off to do what he was told.

"We really need to do all of this just to make a dish, cook?" The swordsman asked from his spot beside Sanji near the sink, annoyance slipping into his tone. He was washing the fifth ingredients for the third times, some kind of leaf he didn't know, just like the other four, root and pea and shit.

"No, dumbass". Sanji scolded as his hands moving with lighting speed on the clean stuff passed to him, cutting them into fine pieces. "We're making more than one dish. How many times have you eaten my cooking to even ask something stupid like that"?

Zoro glared at him, and he smirked. Yeah, they were on good terms now. That didn't mean he couldn't insult the other man anymore, though. It was what he liked to do the best, after cooking. But the moss head wasn't the one to talk. He fished for Sanji to throw insults at him and bit back with full force, if not more. That often resulted in them kicking each other's head in and punching each other's arms. Not allowed to fight for real because of the thread, they both settled down for bickering and some haft-hearted attacks, like…

"An old-married couple".

The archeologist's smooth voice murmured from behind them as she made her way into the galley. Setting her book down on the table, Robin put her chin in her palm and observed the two men with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I beg your pardon, Robin-chan". The blond cook asked politely as he gave her his attention.

"I said, cook-san, that you two act like an old-married couple".

Sanji wanted to protest but he Zoro bit him for it.

"What? Who says I want to be a couple with him"?

"What? I should be the one to say that. I mean, who wants to be a couple with a man who has seaweed on his head"?

"Who wants to be with an idiot who has dartboard for an eyebrow"?

"My eyebrow is fine, dipshit. Who wants a Neanderthal with orientation problem like you"?

"It's not my fault that the streets or buildings decide to move on their own. You're a stupid cook with the stupid hair cut and your stupid cooking".

"You're pushing it, you son of a bitch"! Sanji, all forgotten about the restricted space between them, roared as he lifted his leg high to bring it down on the bastard's kelp head and make him suffer brain damage for the rest of his fucking life. Zoro was ready for the attack. He himself had his sword unsheathed and into a stance to stop the fuming cook's leg.

They completely forgot the raven haired girl's presence until she giggled, far too amused at the sight her nakama fighting over what she said.

"You two might as well get married and get this over with". She dropped the words and turned to leave, uncared about the two flushing men who now abandoned their fight to scream after her.

"Who wants to marry him"?

The cook, beyond embarrassed, whined at the retreating back of his beauty, face red like a tomato.

"Robin-channnnn".

"Crazy woman", Zoro mutterd, as red as Sanji.

That caused another fight and they ended having a much late lunch than usual.

The day went by with more embarrassing events for the swordsman and the cook. When Nami heard of the "old-married couple" thing, she fell into a non-stop laughing session and couldn't hide the smirk on her face whenever she saw the men.

Later on, Luffy and Usopp joined the girls in the smirking and loud whispering. The poor idiots learned it the hard way not to test the mad men's wrath. But when the green man suggested they should shut the girls up too, the cook had kicked him before he had the time to think about it, and they ended up in a limps-tangled mess.

"Stop kicking me, you shitty cook". Zoro howled.

In the evening, Nami, Chopper and Luffy had a hard time to convince the cook to agree to go into the town for the festival. Today was the festival day in the town on the island they were docking. There were going to have a lot of interesting things being sold, and so many games and bets and competitions. And they could use a little fun after an eventful, long trip. In the end, the mention of good food broke down Sanji defense and they all headed into town.

The further they went in, the more regretful Zoro felt. Pink hearts were everywhere he looked. Couples, hands in hands, walked along the paved path to some place the swordsman was sure as hell he didn't want to go to. _Is this a stupid love festival or something?_ And was it just him or the microphone by the fountain had just announced that there was a _best couple competition_ about to take place.

His fear was confirmed when they all were pushed and shoved in the crowd to a small square with eye-hurting lighting. There were plenty of couples forming half a circle. The green-haired man thought he misheard it as the speaker on the stage just called his name and Sanji. It seemed that a while ago, the crew had enrolled them for the competition.

"Are you fucking kidding me"? Zoro roared, horrified while Sanji looked like he was about to faint.

"No!" Nami grinned and pushed them forward into the lines of exciting couples.

That was the most embarrassing, humiliating and horrifying hour in the swordsman and the cook's lives. They were forced to do all the stupid couple thingies like dancing together, drinking with their arms intertwined and so many other things that would never want to remember.

The competition ended and they were rewarded the title of "cutest couple ever". Sanji swore he would kill the speaker right on the spot if he ever dared to put that pink ribbon on him. The crew had the most amazing time ever, escorting the "couple" back to the ship, laughing their lungs out.

"Stupid thread," Zoro growled.

* * *

You may find this silly, but I'm having a hard time finding a beta reader who prefers to beta One piece boyxboy, especially silly stories like this. So if you know anyone you can recommend, please let me know. Or if you're willing to beta this, please let me know. Many thanks 3


End file.
